EVANSVILLE - It will take far more money to demolish Roberts Stadium than the city budgeted initially, but officials say they weren't surprised at the high prices on bids received this week.

Five demolition proposals were opened during Wednesday's Evansville Board of Park Commissioners meeting. The apparent low bidder, Klenck Co., submitted a base bid of $958,750. Other proposals ranged from $1.1 million to $2.7 million.

In its current budget, the city had set aside $200,000 for the job. An auction of Roberts Stadium assets, such as sports and kitchen equipment, brought an additional $246,000 to also be used for the demolition.

Remaining funds needed for the project are not currently budgeted and will have to be requested from Evansville City Council, said David Rector, City-County Building Authority director.

Rector said the initial $200,000 estimate was provided by a demolition contractor, but it was based on the contractor receiving liquidation rights on assets left in Roberts Stadium.

"That's why (the estimate) was so cheap," Rector said.

Rector added that the initial projection also was made before specifications for the demolition project were determined.

Those plans include not only tearing down the 56-year-old structure located off Lloyd Expressway on the city's East Side, but filling in the land and preparing it for redevelopment as a public park.

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke's proposal to repurpose the land as Roberts Park was embraced earlier this year by the Board of Park Commissioners. Winnecke was not available for comment Thursday, but his spokeswoman, Ella Johnson-Watson, said the mayor was not surprised by base amounts on the demolition bids.

But she said Winnecke wants to study the bids' details more closely before commenting further.

The city is moving forward with plans to demolish Roberts Stadium, although local resident Alan Brill continues to fight the decision in court.

An Aug. 31 hearing in a lawsuit filed by Brill to halt the demolition lasted nearly five hours. Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Richard D'Amour did not give a timeline for announcing a decision in the case.

City officials have said they want the Roberts demolition project to be complete by May 1, but weather patterns will be a factor in setting a more precise schedule.